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Friday, September 19, 2008

Common Sense Flickers Briefly

Wow what a difference a few hours make! Ah-nold FINALLYsigned the dang budget! He's still a jerk and bad for the average citizen that makes less than $100K but at least some of the other members of the state legislators who aren't multi-millionaires or married to political royalty have an understanding of the basic struggles of everyday folk. This doesn't quite resolve the continued $15B shortage - a lot of which comes from the inflated price of housing that's going to keep falling until it's reset to the correct value. Again, it's telling how the approach to solving this comes down to political party philosophy or how the rich stay rich on the backs of the poor. From the Guardian:

Democrats wanted to raise taxes on high-income earners, Schwarzenegger proposed a one-cent increase in the sales tax, while Republicans opposed any tax increases and advocated cuts in services.

I received an email from the Courage Campaign asking people to consider requesting an amendment to California Constitution.

America has been here before. During the 1780s, our newly independent nation faced a crippling economic crisis and a government that was unable to effectively respond. To remedy the crisis, James Madison, George Washington and other public servants met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to reshape the federal government to resolve the crisis and provide for stable government that also protects our freedoms and rights. We celebrate their achievement by calling them Founding Fathers.

We believe California is at a similar crossroads. The economy and the political stalemate will only get worse unless we fix Sacramento. To fix Sacramento, we need the kind of structural change that can only come from a revised California Constitution.

The Courage Campaign is therefore considering asking the state legislature to convene a Constitutional Convention for California, which would open up a formal process to enact significant structural changes in our government -- just as our Founding Fathers did in 1787.

We think it is imperative that such an important decision only be made with the support of our members and our allies in the progressive movement.

Well, it's something to consider. For now we have a reprieve, but how long will that last? Schwarzenegger might just be trying to stave any real solutions as his term is ending and he can pass the buck to the next sucker, er Governor. Rumor has it San Francisco Mayor wants the job. Helping to pass the Gay Marriage Amendment certainly helps his cause.